Massive Seamount Found in Guatemala Soars Twice as High as Tallest Skyscraper
A colossal seamount has been unearthed off the coast of Guatemala, towering almost double the height of the world's tallest building This remarkable discovery not only unveils a natural wonder but also a thriving biodiversity hotspot beneath the ocean's surface
Subscribe to CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter to delve into the universe with the latest news on captivating discoveries, scientific progress, and more. Recently, a colossal seamount was unveiled on the ocean floor near Guatemala in the Pacific Ocean.
According to the NOAA Ocean Exploration, the seamount is likely a remnant of an extinct volcano, as most seamounts are. At 1,600 meters (5,249 feet) tall, it is nearly twice the height of Dubais Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. This discovery was made during a Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition, which occurred in July. The structure covers 14 square kilometers (5.4 square miles) and sits 2,400 meters (7,874 feet) below sea level. The research vessel Falkor, utilized during the expedition, is equipped with a multibeam echosounder designed to map the seafloor by using a fan-shaped pattern of sound waves to measure the time it takes for the sound to reach the ocean floor and return.
Tomer Ketter, a hydrographer and marine geoscientist at the Israeli National Institute for Oceanography, confirmed that the seamount was not listed in any ocean depth databases, including the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans. "Discovering a seamount over 1.5 kilometers tall that has been hidden under the waves until now really emphasizes how much we still have to explore," said Dr. Jyotika Virmani, executive director of Schmidt Ocean Institute. "A comprehensive map of the seafloor is essential for understanding our oceans, so it's exciting to be living in an era where technology allows us to map and see these incredible parts of our planet for the first time."
The seamount was discovered in July during a Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition using the research vessel known as Falkor (too).
The Schmidt Ocean Institute discovered the seamount 84 nautical miles outside the Guatemalan Exclusive Economic Zone. It is believed that there are over 100,000 seamounts around the world that are taller than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), but less than 0.1% have been explored, as reported by NOAA.
"Seamounts have only been recently explored thanks to the development of human-operated submersibles and advanced remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)," explained Les Watling, an emeritus biology professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, via email. Watling, who was not directly involved in the discovery, took part in a Schmidt Ocean Institute exploration in 2019.
"It's quite surprising that it's not included in the chart," Watling commented, highlighting the vast unexplored nature of the ocean floor. (As of 2023, the NOAA estimates that less than 25% of the ocean floor has been mapped.) Ocean researchers have a good understanding of the locations of most seamounts, including those that have not been mapped or explored, thanks to the use of satellite radar altimeters. These altimeters detect small differences in sea surface height by measuring the time it takes for a radar pulse to travel from a satellite to the ocean's surface and back. According to Watling, a slight bulge in the ocean surface above a seamount's location allows for the detection of these large underwater mountains.
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NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration/AP
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The seamount was located about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) from the mapped location, as indicated by satellite altimetry. This indicated that the previously modeled seamount, which was likely the same as the recently mapped one, could have been inaccurately located due to the presence of other land masses in the area, Ketter explained. The seamount had not been previously mapped or identified, and its location had only been predicted based on satellite data.
According to Watling, the recently discovered seamount may exceed the height of the world's tallest building, with some reaching heights of 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) or more. And, as NOAA explains, the tallest mountain in the world, Mauna Kea in Hawaii, measuring over 10,210 meters (33,500 feet) from base to peak, actually began as a seamount.
Seamounts are geological formations that serve as hot spots of biodiversity, providing a solid surface for corals, sponges, and other marine invertebrates to thrive.
Tony Koslow, an emeritus research oceanographer at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, explained that seamounts form unique ecosystems due to the increased speed of surrounding currents, which can accelerate up to 10 times their normal flow. The faster currents create a hard rock substrate where invertebrates can attach themselves, and also attract other fauna that feed on food particles carried by the swift currents. Koslow, who is the author of "The Silent Deep: The Discovery, Ecology, and Conservation of the Deep Sea," was not part of the discovery.
On the night of April 14th to 15th, 1912, the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. The tragic event resulted in the loss of between 1,491 and 1,513 lives. The wreckage of the Titanic now lies at a depth of 4,000 meters, with the bow of the ship buried in the mud. In 1996, a pulley at the front of the wreck, "loaded" with concretions, resembled a figurehead.
Xavier Desmier/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
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Researchers believe that between 15% and 35% of native ocean species inhabit seamount ecosystems, and migratory species also utilize these structures for breeding, feeding, or seeking shelter, as reported by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
"Only relatively recently has the extraordinary variety of life on seamounts been acknowledged," Koslow stated. "One of the most notable factors of this revelation is that it underscores the fact that the seafloor is still inadequately mapped."
